Degeneration: New Old Face
by QueenOfBeasts
Summary: While playing tourist on an alien planet with River, the Doctor suddenly falls ill. When he wakes up the next morning, he's not the same man. Now he has to break it to the Ponds, but will they accept this new, old Doctor? Doctor/River, Amy/Rory.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey-o! First official DW fanfiction! :D This will (hopefully) be updated every Friday, Saturday at the latest. It's all prewritten, so no worries about not knowing what I'm doing on that end. However, this is only the first in a series which I'm calling "_Degeneration_" (as if you couldn't tell...) I'm fairly positive that the title is self-explanatory, and that most anyone who reads this can probably infer what is to come in later chapters and series installments (who I've chosen for the character slots should give you a hint). And yes, I do know where this series is going... vaguely. Chill out! Everything will be okay, a'ight? Also, if you made it this far in the author's note, allow me to congratulate you with a virtual cookie. *hands cookie***

**Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill. You recognize it, I don't own it. Capiche?**

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The bustle of an alien marketplace always excited River Song. She loved to browse the venders' wares, placing them into galaxy, solar system, planet, and time of origin in her mind, the archeologist in her constantly at work. These times, the times when it was just she and the Doctor – _her_ Doctor – were her favorites. No planets or people to save, no enemies hell-bent on taking the Doctor's life, and no running. Just him and her.

What she loved just as much, if not more, was the Doctor's pure, innocent curiosity and energy. She found it adorable when he would just gaze at the most common of trinkets in wonder, and then shoot off into a long-winded lecture about it, something related to it, or something that had absolutely nothing to do with it at all. It was the last of these three choices in rant topics that currently had him preoccupied.

River was barely listening to what her husband was saying, but enjoyed the sound of his voice as he rambled on about this and that and the other thing. Oh sure, it had the power to annoy her to no end, but when there was no immediate danger and they weren't running for their lives, she thought it to be a bit cute. And when she _did_ listen to him, well… he _had_ been right when accusing her of wearing her 'he's-hot-when-he's-clever' face.

Even though it was just her normal face.

They continued to stroll through the bazaar, stopping every once in a while to look at an interesting product or chatting with a friendly vender. It was as they were walking away from one of these chats that the Doctor had a slight collision with a stranger.

"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry! Wasn't looking where I was going, I suppose; bit clumsy, me!" The Doctor hurriedly apologized to the man. The stranger grunted in affirmation, keeping his head down.

"My fault, not yours." He said shortly and gruffly, grasping the Doctor's hand and shaking it. "Sorry 'bout that." And with that he hurried off into the crowd.

River eyed the man warily as he quickly stocked off.

"Bit odd that was, don't you think?" She asked. The Doctor, ever oblivious to almost all social faux-pas, just shrugged it off.

"He probably had somewhere to be! Maybe meeting up with a mate for lunch. Which reminds me! I'm getting a bit hungry! I know a great place for chips not to far from here! What do you say?" He asked this with a childish glint in his deep green eyes, making him look both impossibly young and impossibly old all at once.

That was one look she couldn't say no to.

"That would be lovely, Sweetie. Lead the way!" She replied, grinning. The Doctor clapped his hands together and bounded off, expecting River to keep up with him, which of course she did.

"Well then, come along Song!"

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The little restaurant was simply decorated and packed with patrons, all wanting a taste of, what the large sign standing outside the door said were 'The BEST Chips in the Solar System'. River had to admit they were pretty good, but not the best she'd ever had. Though it was apparent that this didn't faze the Doctor at all; if anything, he was talking even more animatedly than before. He munched his chips happily, explaining to her the history of the planet they were currently exploring. He was in the middle of retelling the great building projects of King Zartock the VII when he halted mid-sentence. He put his hand to his head, and pulled it away quickly, as if he had been burned.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" River asked in concern. The Doctor glanced up at her, a confused expression on his face.

"I… I think I'm sick." He said slowly, as if he were unsure of it himself. The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sick?" She reiterated. "But Time Lords are pretty much unsusceptible to most all humanoid illnesses, aren't they?"

"Yeah…" He replied quietly, his hand going back to hold his head. Now she was just as baffled as he was. She had never fallen seriously ill in her lifetimes, aside from the occasional case of the sniffles, but not even Time Lords and Ladies could avoid those nasty things. If the Doctor _was_ running a fever, there may be something dreadfully wrong with him.

River dragged the Doctor back to the TARDIS, snapping her fingers just as she'd seen him do hundreds of times before, and the doors swung open. She silently thanked the Old Girl, helping her husband into his ship, supporting most of his weight herself. He seemed to be getting weaker, which was not a good sign, even if he had been human. She got him to the sickbay, peeled his tweed jacket off his body and helped him lay down, hurrying to the cabinet and pulling out the necessary equipment. She thanked God she'd let Rory give her that lesson in first aid, and got to work. She went back over to the Doctor on the bed, taking his temperature. She stared at the thermometer, perplexed. It was normal. She continued doing simple tests, all of them coming back saying there was nothing wrong with him. She then proceeded to conduct some more complicated ones, as per the TARDIS' instructions.

Nothing. He was fine.

"Well, Sweetie, all the tests say you're perfectly healthy." She finally announced. The Doctor snorted.

"I don't _feel_ 'perfectly healthy'." He bit back weakly. River sat on the bed next to him, feeling his forehead again. He was burning up, but she had triple-checked his temperature, and it was perfectly average for a Time Lord.

"Maybe you just need some rest. In fact, when was the last time you had a good, proper night's sleep?" She asked, a small smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. The Doctor mumbled something incoherently, which to River was answer enough. She smiled softly, and kissed his nose. "Get some sleep, my love. I'll be close by if you need me." She started to get up, but the Doctor grabbed her wrist, pulling her back onto the bed.

"Riv-ver! Sta-ay!" He whined, wrapping his arms around her waist. River wasn't sure if he was being immature or attempting to be endearing, but she couldn't find it in herself to really care.

"Alright, but only because you're not feeling well." She said, cuddling into his chest.

"You'd sleep in my bed even if I _wasn't_ sick!" He exclaimed as loudly as his hoarse voice allowed him.

"Oh Sweetie," she purred with a throaty chuckle. "If I stayed in you're bed, the last thing we'd be doing is _sleeping_!"

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It was quiet save for the low hum of the TARDIS as River lay in bed. She could feel the Doctor's arms still around her, and smiled to herself. She _really_ didn't want to get up; it was just so comfortable snuggled up to him. But then she reminded herself that he wasn't feeling well, and that she needed to wake him up to check and see if anything about his condition had changed.

Her eyes slid open lazily, still not sure if it wouldn't just be better to let him (and herself) sleep. She quickly vetoed the idea, and blinked her eyes a few times to wake herself up a bit more. She moved her head so she could look up at the Doctor to kiss him awake, but a strangled yelp escaped her throat instead.

The man lying in the bed beside her wasn't the Doctor.

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**Remember kids, reviews prevent obesity! (not really, but lets pretend, eh?)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So! Far more positive response than I expected, which is more than grand! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and subscribed! :)**

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the last, but on the upside, we get to see River's violent reaction to the (not so) strange man in her bed! And that's always fun, amiright?**

**And to reply to an anonymous reviewer and ask the opinion of others: I never thought about going any farther back than the Doctor's tenth incarnation, but now I'm wondering if I should go farther... what do you all think? Keep skinny and sexy, or keep going down the line of Doctors? And if so, where do I stop? Food for thought.**

**Anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

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She sat back on her knees, frozen in pure shock. This only lasted for seconds, however, and she soon came back to herself. River pulled the gun that she always kept within arms' reach, and switched off the safety.

"Who the _HELL_ are _YOU_?" She roared, like a lioness before her prey. The man shot up from his position on the bed, looking around frantically only to come face to face with the barrel of the woman's gun.

"What?" He said dumbly. River tightened her grip on the weapon.

"You heard me! Who _are_ you?" She growled.

"_What?_"

"Answer me!"

"_WHAT?_"

"That's it…!" She snarled viciously, cocking her gun, her finger poised on the trigger.

"NO! Don't shoot!" He pleaded, leaping from the bed.

"And why shouldn't I?" She queried, her eyes dark with anger.

"Because, River, it's _me_!"

River lowered her gun a bit to get a good look at the man. He was tall and skinny, with sharp features. On his head was a mess of spiky brown hair with sideburns, and he had eyes to match. He looked familiar, and River swore she knew him from somewhere.

And then it clicked.

He was wearing the Doctor's clothes.

Or rather, _her_ Doctor's clothes. Because she knew that this man was also the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Oh my God…"

"What happened, River?" The Doctor asked, his brown eyes a mixture of curiosity and fear. "I feel different… but not… _new_. Like I've regenerated, but… haven't. What's different, River? Show me." The solemn conviction in his voice and expression almost made River's hearts stop beating. She slowly and carefully picked her way around the room to stand by his side. She looked into his eyes, and saw, and _felt_ their age. They were the same eyes she loved, only a chocolate brown now instead of the forest green she was used to. She grasped his hand in her's, still a perfect fit, and led him to a mirror on the other side of the room.

The Doctor stared at his reflection, his expression caught somewhere between awe and terror.

"Well," He said, finally finding his voice after what seemed like hours of silence. "It seems I have _de_generated." River nodded her head in agreement, her curls bouncing with the movement. "This was my tenth incarnation," he continued. "One of my favorites. Had a short life in comparison to some of the others, this one. But it was one helluva ride, let me tell ya!" Now he was beaming that impossibly charming grin that made woman all over the universe melt. River couldn't help but smile back, still in shock at the Doctor's unexpected and rapid transformation. He gave a little laugh, then turned back to the mirror, a critical look now adorning his features. "Though mind you, I have absolutely _no_ idea why I would _ever_ wear a bow-tie on a regular basis. I mean for black tie, yeah! Everyday… not so much. Ya know what I mean?"

"Finally you understand!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up over her head in an exaggerated manner. "Now you admit that bow-ties are by no means 'cool'?" The Doctor shrugged, straightening the tie.

"No, they're still cool. Just when they're appropriate." River rolled her eyes.

"I'm never going to get you to stop wearing those awful things, am I?" She asked. He grinned and winked at her. It was decidedly more flirtatious than his normal actions, and the sad part was he wasn't even trying.

"Nope!" He replied, popping the 'p'. "But, as a consolation prize, I'll spare you and the rest of the universe those gaudy hats."

"Well at least that's one victory."

"I know, you lucky duck! Now, why don't you go put up a pot of tea while I get dressed, yeah?" He suggested as he wandered over to the wardrobe. River sat back down on the bed, smirking up at him.

"No, I think I'll stay. Wouldn't want to miss the show, now would I?" The Doctor just glared at her.

"River, if you hadn't noticed, now isn't exactly the best of times to get 'distracted'." He deadpanned. His wife just huffed and stalked over to the door.

"Fine," she paused, a sultry smirk spreading over her face. "But you have to promise to let me 'distract' you later." The Doctor opened and closed his mouth in a way similar to a fish before finding his voice.

"Uh… yeah… yeah that sounds fair!" He stammered. "Now off you go!" River's smirk stayed in place as she turned and sashayed out of the room and down the corridor.

"Don't take too long, Sweetie!" She called over her shoulder.

The Doctor ran his hand through his mess of brown hair in the same way his tenth incarnation always had when he was stressed or nervous.

"That woman will be the death of me…" He stopped his train of thought, thinking now of how poor his choice of words were.

"again…"

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**Good, da? Or bad, nyet? Let me know! Give feedback, suggestions, tell me what you ate for lunch, I don't care! Reviews help write the next installment in the series!**


	3. Chapter 3

***is shot* I'MSOSORRYPLEASEFORGIVEME! **

**I am VERY late with this, and for that I apologize! Life's been hectic and crazy and I've barely gotten a break. So, so make it up to all my lovely readers (i.e. you people reading this), I'll be uploading TWO chapters today PLUS a oneshot that I've been working on. How lucky are you people? :)**

**WARNING: This chapter contains Spoilers for the episodes "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead".**

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River sat in the captain's chair in the console room, her legs crossed and sipping her tea. She waited patiently for the Doctor, eager to see the choice of clothes this regeneration favored. She really couldn't see that face in his usual bow-tie and tweed. She heard the slap of shoes hitting the floor at a fast, possibly running, pace. Suddenly, the Doctor burst into the room, swinging around the TARDIS console to stand before her. He was wearing a fitted, brown suit with blue pinstripes and a tie decorated with swirls, along with a pair of worn-out looking white trainers on his feet. Folded over his arm was a long brown trench coat.

River couldn't help but stare. This _couldn't_ be the goofy, childish man she knew and loved. He was…

He was…

He was so _hot_.

Had she had less self-control, she _definitely_ would have jumped him by now. And that wasn't to say her Doctor wasn't attractive in his own way, but… this version of him was drop-dead _gorgeous_.

"_Hello_ Sweetie!" She teased in her usual flirty manner.

"I take it you approve, then?" He asked, eyebrow raised quizzically. The blonde woman uncurled herself like a cat, and stood, her arms sliding around his waist.

"Oh, _very_ much approved, my love." She purred, leaning up to kiss him. The chaste press of lips soon turned into a full-on make-out session, River moaning softly as the Doctor explored her mouth with his tongue. If there was one thing she was absolutely sure about, it was that this Doctor was an _extremely_ good kisser. She could have stood there and snogged him senseless much longer if he hadn't pulled away. She groaned in frustration.

"You know, typically when you're kissing a woman like that, it's not a very good idea to stop. Especially when that woman is me." She groused at him.

"Well what did I say about distracting me? It was only going to end in disappointment on your part."

"I hate you."

"No you don't!" He grinned as he fidgeted with some bits and bobs on the main console. River sighed and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"So," he began, acting as if what had just occurred didn't, and his wife wasn't more than slightly sexually frustrated. "What do we know?"

River dropped her pissed-off demeanor instantly and starting listing what had happened to them so far.

"Alright. First we were at the intergalactic bazaar on Imneise IV, looked around for a bit, ate lunch, then you got sick and we came back to the TARDIS. I checked all your vital signs and every single one of them were normal, but you were burning up. Then we went to sleep. All we really know is that you went to sleep as a bow-tie loving nine-year-old in a grown man's body and woke up as a skinny spiky-haired pretty boy." The Doctor nodded in conformation, before his head shot up and he glared at her.

"Hey! Who you callin' 'pretty boy'?" He demanded. River gave him a sly smile.

"Why, you, pretty boy."

He had a sudden flash of memory.

_He had been traveling with Donna at the time, and they had found themselves at The Library, a planet of nothing but books. He had gone there by request of a message he'd gotten on his physic paper, and had been intrigued as to who had his number… and would sign it with a kiss._

_He, Donna, and the team of archeologists lead by one Professor River Song were in a round, dimly lit room, though it was enough to keep the Vashta Nerada away. He was in the middle of trying to think of something brilliant that would get them all out of there safely, when Professor Song began shooting off rapid-fire orders. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying, but he did however catch the tail end of her instructions._

_"Pretty Boy, you're with me. Step into my office." _

_He paid her little mind, and walked over to Proper Dave to assist him. She called again._

_"Pretty Boy, with me I said." _

_Donna raised an eyebrow at him, and that's when it struck him. _

_"Oh, _I'm_ Pretty Boy?" He asked of his companion._

_"Yesss! Oh, that came out a bit quick." She replied._

_He kept staring at her confusedly._

_"Pretty?" _

_Donna shrugged. "Meh."_

_He shrugged in return, making his way over to the woman who seemed so familiar with him. _

He had to look away from her then, the memories of that day in The Library becoming too much for him. He watched her die that day, and it broke his hearts to think that this same face would be the one she'd die seeing, except that the eyes would hold none of the love and adoration and _trust_ that they did now. He had been so broken after he and Donna had left The Library. He hid it as best he could from his friend, but she knew, because she was Donna Noble and he was the Doctor and they were best mates. She didn't know what exactly had occurred between them, but she was perceptive enough to know that it was important and very likely personal, and that anything that intimate would scare the Doctor witless.

He hadn't known what she meant to him then, but he still felt an overwhelming sense of grief and loss at her death, even if she said that it wasn't the end for him, that she was from his future and they would meet again. But hearing her say his name… it broke him, because he would _never_ tell _anyone_ his name unless…

But now he knew. Now he loved her so much, and he never wanted to let her go. He dreaded the day she would ask him to go to the Singing Towers; to their last adventure. He fixed her with a smoldering gaze, somewhere between the Oncoming Storm and a Broken Man.

"I think I prefer 'Sweetie'." He said softly. River looked at him in concern, but left the subject alone. He would tell her when and if he was ready, and chances are, it'd be Spoilers anyway.

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**I would just like to say that kissing scene was the most sexual thing I've ever written. XD**

**Reviews are LOVE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is that second chapter I promised today! Kinda short, more of a filler than anything, but I think it's okay. But, the shortness of it is also why I'm uploading the oneshot... because I feel guilty... Oh! And forgot to mention: the oneshot is Nine/Rose and kinda angsty. So... yeah...**

**Enjoy! :D**

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As was often the case with the Doctor, he sprung back from his melancholy state within a matter of minutes. He started fiddling with some buttons and levers, occasionally glancing up at the scanner's monitor, before suddenly standing up straight and flashing River a manic grin.

"Back to the scene of the crime, then?" River gave him a bit of a bemused look.

"What crime scene? We don't even know how this happened, let alone where. It could have been a virus festering in your system for God knows how long! We can't begin looking if we don't know where to start." She reasoned. The Doctor had to admit she was right. He hadn't the foggiest about how this had happened, and the problem very well could have been lurking inside of him for quite some time. They were stuck.

"Well then what do you suppose we do?"

An enigmatic smile played across River's lips.

"Were you really this thick in this regeneration? We do what we always do, my love. We run."

The Doctor frowned, his significantly thicker eyebrows bunched together.

"River, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not supposed to be _in_ this body. I came to terms with the death of my Tenth quite a while ago, and I _really_ don't feel like getting so attached to it again," he paused for a beat, before adding as an afterthought, "And I am not thick! Well. Maybe a little. Some of the time. You know how this old brain is – runs away from me sometimes!" He rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet as he said this; something River could tell was one of this regeneration's common fidgets.

"So," the Doctor continued. "You're saying that we should just keep on with it? Running about the universe having adventures and being kinda, sorta, marvelous?"

River grinned. "That's what you do, isn't it? What you've always done, ever since the very beginning? Whisking humans away to see the stars and have a grand old time, and doing some running along the way?"

"Well yeah," he chirped, beaming back at her. "'Cept you're not exactly human, Dr. Song. You've seen most of it already; if not with me than by yourself or on those expeditions you go on. Which, by the way, you really shouldn't be doing anymore, seeing as you're supposed to be in prison when I'm not around."

"When has a jail cell ever held me back, Sweetie?" She asked, giving him a flirty smirk.

"Never, in my recollection." He ran his hand through his messy brown hair – another tick, River noted. "Bit worrisome that the most secure prison in the known universe can't keep a handle on one troublemaking archeologist. Makes ya wonder." _Only_, he said to himself, River wasn't just some 'troublemaking archeologist'. She was a force of nature, powerful and deadly and beautiful. If he was the Oncoming Storm, then she was the Raging Sea.

"You think I'm a troublemaker, Doctor?" She asked innocently. _'And one hell of an actress'_ he added in his head.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Now," he turned away from her then, back to the console. He began typing in some co-ordinates, the typewriter-like doohickey making a 'ding' type sound when he was done. "Since it appears I'll be staying like this for a while, I think it'd be a good idea to let your parents know."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" River inquired skeptically.

"Well why not? You mentioned me showing humans the stars, and they came to mind. S'not really my fault then, now is it?"

"And how do you know they'll react positively to this new-old you?"

"Amy's my best friend," the Doctor called out from around the consul distractedly. "And Rory! Well Rory reminds me a bit of Mickey Smith. Didn't like him much at first, warmed up to him though! Good bloke; married to Martha Jones now. Last time I saw them they were being fired at by a Sontaran! Took care of him though," he spun around quickly, getting right in River's face. Not that she minded. "Sledgehammer to the ol' coconut is surprisingly affective on them!" Another mad grin and he was back at the console, spinning knobs and pulling levers.

"But that's completely irrelevant! You and I," he paused, looking over at the blonde woman, his hand on the handbrake. "Are off to see the Ponds." He then yanked the lever down, and the _vroop vroop_ of the TARDIS in flight began getting louder and louder.

_"ALLONS-Y!"_

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**Reviewing builds character!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm a naughty author... I haven't updated in weeks! I'm so terribly sorry to you all! D: **

**The problem is, I've come down with a serious case of writer's block concerning the next installment of the _Degeneration_ series. I have the first two chapters done, but now I'm stuck. So, if any of you can or want to help in anyway, I'd GLADLY take you as a beta (which I've never used before and am scared to start) or at the very least a friendly consultant.**

**And to earn the forgiveness of my lovely readers, I'll try and put out another one-shot soon! ****How do you all feel about a crossover? :3**

**Anyway, enjoy Lovelies! :D**

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Amelia Pond loved looking at the stars. It was something she had always enjoyed, ever since she was a little girl, and the Raggedy Man had fallen out of the sky in his Magic Box. Now that she was grown, she found the back patio of her new home to be a sort of sanctuary, especially at night. She would gaze up at the dark sky, and be reminded of all the incredible adventures she'd been on and all the amazing places she'd seen. It was on these warm summer nights with a cup of tea in hand that she reminisced on her life and all she had experienced. She was young yet, she knew, but she felt like she had lived far too long. She supposed that was what happened when one traveled with the Doctor. They felt older than they really were; knew more than they should.

And that was fine with her, now that she thought about it. She wouldn't have traded traveling with the Doctor for anything in the universe…

Well, that was a lie. She still regretted not being able to raise he daughter properly, but she had made her peace with it. Melody was fine, she was fine, and Rory was fine. Sure, they may not be a conventional family, but they were _happy_.

Amy was roughly torn from her thoughts by the wind picking up… only there had been no wind to begin with. That's when she heard the _vroop vroop_ of the Doctor's Blue Box, and a huge grin broke out on her face.

"Rory!" She called to her husband excitedly. "He's back!"

Rory rushed out of the house just as the TARDIS materialized in the middle of their back garden. The couple beamed at each other; Amy ecstatic to see her best friend again and Rory pleased to see Amy so happy.

The door to the box opened, and out stepped, to their mild surprise, their daughter. This was quickly shaken off, however, as the two dashed over to greet the blonde woman.

"River! It's so good to see you!" Amy exclaimed at she clung to the other woman tightly. River hugged her mother back just as tightly.

"It's lovely to see you, too, Mum!" She laughed as the redhead rock her back and forth in sort of hugging dance. She gently extracted herself from the embrace and turned to her father. "Hello Dad." Rory smiled and collected her in a hug.

"Hello Melody." He said into her hair. He pulled away after a moment, giving an awkward little half-smile that was oh so Roryish.

"Where's the Doctor?" Amy asked eagerly. At this River suddenly stepped back, her expression becoming grim.

"About that," she began. "He's… not how you remember him."

"What do you mean by that?" Rory questioned in confusion.

"It means he's… changed." A look of shock grew on both the Ponds' faces.

"You mean like you did in Berlin? When you… what did he call it… regenerated?" Inquired her father.

"Well, not exactly…"

"Oi! Stop bein' so cryptic about it and just spit it out already!" Amy demanded, exasperated.

"I'm trying!" River nearly shouted. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and continued.

"You both must understand that the Doctor is not in his first body. A Time Lord gets thirteen lives and he's on his eleventh. That's not to say that he'll be dying anytime soon, you just have to know that in order to properly comprehend-"

"_The Time Lord is strong in this one!_" The other woman cut her off using her best Yoda voice. River had the decency to look sheepish for her rambling before she went on.

"Yes. Right. As I was saying, he's regenerated before, and so he's had other bodies, just like I have. For some reason he's… degenerated. If that's even the proper word for it. He's changed just like he would had he actually gone through a regeneration – new body, new tastes, new personality – only… they're not new, per say. They're that of one of his former incarnations; his last one, his tenth."

The Ponds stood stock-still for a few moments, trying to take in all that had been said to them, before Amy finally broke the silence.

"So what you're sayin' is that we have to get to know him all over again?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"And there's no way to fix him?" Rory asked, still looking mildly befuddled.

"We don't know. We have no clue how it happened, let alone if there's a cure. And that's only if it's an illness of some kind."

Amy, starting to understand, nodded.

"So you came here to tell us that next time we see him, he'll be different."

"No, _we_ came here so you _could_ see him." With that final comment, River walked back towards the TARDIS, and called into the consul room.

"Come on out, Sweetie! They don't bite!" Here she looked back at Amy with a bit of a smirk. "Well, Mum does, but only when provoked!" Amy gave her a look between indignant and amused.

"That's it, you're grounded, young lady!"

"And what do you call Stormcage?"

"Ineffective." Said a new voice, startling Amy out of her teasing competition with River. Standing in the TARDIS doorway was a tall, skinny man with messy brown hair dressed in a pinstripe suit and tattered old trainers.

"'Ello, I'm the Doctor. Version 10.0."

All the Ponds could do was stare wide-eyed at this man who claimed to be their best friend. He looked completely different! He even _sounded_ different! They had experienced regeneration before but it was still hard to believe. When Mels had gone through the change, it was slightly better (_better_ being a term used very loosely). They had known River and knew what to expect from her. But the Doctor, _this_ Doctor, was all new to them. He may have already had experience with this body but they didn't have a clue where to start.

So they stared some more.

The Doctor's eyebrows (_'Oh my God he _does _have them!'_ Amy thought in shock) drew together in a frown.

"Oi, its not that bad is it? I happen to think this me was rather dashing, if I do say so myself." He declared, the frown disappearing to be replaced with a self-satisfied smirk.

Amy and Rory exchanged a glance.

"It's him." They said simultaneously.

Amy broke out in a huge grin and ran up to the new/old Doctor, practically bowling him over in a tackle-hug. He laughed jubilantly as he swung the young woman in his arms in a circle.

"It's good to see you too! I take it you're okay with this then?" Amy pulled back slightly to look up at him. He looked older now, but his eyes still held the same kindness and age that she had always been able to see in her Doctor's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it." She replied beaming.

"Brilliant! _Molto bene_! How 'bout you, Rory? Do I get Mr. Pond's approval?" He queried, brown orbs taking the puppy-dog eyes to a whole new level. Rory shuffled awkwardly for a moment before finding his.

"Uh, yeah… you look… cool?"

"Don't sound sure about that. Which is completely understandable. After all, it's not everyday that you find out your friend has changed his face, voice, personality, everything, and just came up to you and said "'Ello, look at me, I'm the same guy!" More than a bit weird, I imagine. 'Cept for me of course, since I'm used to it. I remember, one time back on Gallifrey -"

"DOCTOR!" Three voices chorused at him. The Doctor abruptly stopped his rambling in favor of rebutting with a, "WHAT?" in the exact same tone they had taken with him. Amy raised an eyebrow at his admittedly unexpected reply.

"Oo, a bit cheeky now, are we?" The Doctor rubbed the back of his head and shrugged.

"Was a bit rude in this regeneration. Rude and not ginger. Anyway!" At this he dashed back into the TARDIS. The Ponds stared after him in confusion, even River. He popped his head back out again.

"What? I thought you said we should keep doing what we always do!" He said, addressing River. The woman looked at him curiously.

"They're coming with us?"

"'Course they are, why wouldn't they be? Need you lot to keep me out of trouble! And, I admit, this me _does_ seem to attract trouble like no other." And back in the Blue Box he went.

The family of three trailed after him, quickly making their way to the main consul. They found the Doctor already bored, fidgeting with some bits and bobs on the control panel. Amy leaned back on the pillar behind him, smirking.

"More trouble than you attracted as the you we know?"

The Doctor ran around, pulling levers and pressing buttons, and then hitting a certain part of the consul with a sledgehammer.

"If you call werewolves, witches, Sontarans, Cybermen, the Master, and the fires of Pompeii "more trouble", then yes. Oh! And the Devil! Can't forget him!"

The horrified shrieks of "ARE YOU BLOODY SERIOUS?" were drowned out by the sound of the TARDIS being sent into the Time Vortex.

* * *

**GAAAAAHHHHH! **

**I didn't like all too much... Ten seems so OOC to me, and River even more so. I think I did okay with Amy and Rory though. Amy and Rory are _cool_.**

**So, that's the end of this installment of the _Degeneration_ series! Though I can't say it's a relief, because as I said, I'm having issues with the next story. Any help is greatly appreciated, from critique on characterization to ideas for the future, I need it! **

**Thanks for reading and have _Fantastic_ day! :D**


End file.
